2008 Hall of Fame Honorees from Wilson County

Wilson County Trio to be Honored at
Southeastern Swimming Hall of Fame Weekend

August 31, 2008….Southeastern Swimming (SES), a Local Swimming Committee of USA Swimming, will hold their Hall of Fame Weekend October 4-5, 2008 in Gulf Shores, AL.

The SES Hall of Fame ceremonies are a biennial event, meaning they take place every two years. The 2008 Hall of Fame will honor swimmers from Tennessee, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle who have reached defined achievements in performance at Southeastern Swimming Championship Meets over a two year period from September 2006 through August 2008.

Three swimmers from Wilson County have qualified for the 2008 Hall of Fame: Bradley Gillilan, a Junior at Lebanon High School; Luke Blackwell, a Sophomore at Friendship Christian School; and Madison Blackwell, an 8^th Grader at FCS.

All three swimmers train with Excel Aquatics, and are the only swimmers from Wilson County that have qualified for the Hall of Fame recognition these past two years.

“All three are consistently SES Championship Meet qualifiers, and all three have met the standards set by the SES club coaches and team delegates to be honored”, Excel Assistant Coach, and Lebanon resident, John Barnes explained.

Gillilan is a member of the Class of 2008 HOF by being ranked in the 2008 Top 5 in the 15&16 Boy’s 800 Meter Freestyle (5^th).

“Bradley is also a USA Swimming Senior Sectional qualifier for both the Spring and Summer meets, and as a High School Junior is now being contacted by quite a few colleges interested in his abilities. His goals this year included qualifying for Junior Nationals in the Spring, and in the Summer attending the Open Water Nationals in both the 5k and 25k distances.”

Luke Blackwell had the highest ranking of the Wilson County swimmers, being the 2008 SES Champion in the 13&14 Boys Short Course 1,000 Yard Freestyle, and the 13&14 Boy’s Long Course 1,500 Meter Freestyle. Luke also had 2008 Top 5 time rankings in the 13&14 Boy’s categories in the 800 Meter Freestyle (2^nd), 200 Yard Backstroke (3^rd), 400 Meter Freestyle (3^rd), 1,650 Yard Free (4^th), 200 Meter Backstroke (4^th), 500 Yard Free (5^th), 200 Meter Individual Medley (5^th), and 400 Meter Individual Medley (5^th).

“In addition to his success at the SES Championship meet level, Luke also qualified for the USA-S Senior Sectionals Meet in both the Spring and Summer. At the 2008 Spring Senior Sectionals he was one of the youngest males at the meet. Like Gillilan, Luke is looking forward to attaining Junior National qualifying times, and swimming in Open Water Nationals next summer.”

Madison Blackwell achieved the Hall of Fame honor by ranking 5^th in the 2008 Short Course 11&12 Girl’s 200 Yard Butterfly, and 5^th in the 2008 Long Course 11&12 Girl’s 200 Meter Butterfly.

“Madison was a 2008 Age Group Sectional Meet qualifier in the 11&12 year old category. She has now aged up to the 13&14 Girl’s category, moved up in training groups, and we are starting to focus on some longer events so that she knows how to finish the shorter 100 and 200 Yard and Meter distances. Our immediate goals are to be ranked in the Top 10 swimmers within Excel Aquatics for some specific events, and then start moving up in the SES rankings as well. With over 400 competitive swimmers, being in the Top 10 within Excel often takes a faster time than being ranked first in a smaller club.”

“This 2008 Hall of Fame achievement is a significant accomplishment by our three local swimmers. They work hard in practice every day and have followed the development pathway that Excel Aquatics has for our swimmers. They know there are no shortcuts to the hard work it takes to succeed in swimming. Their parents are supportive and they make sacrifices on a daily basis to give the kids the opportunities they need to succeed. We should congratulate them and their families, celebrate their success, and encourage others to work towards these goals.”

Excel Aquatics is a USA-Swimming Silver Medal Team of Excellence for 2003-2008, and has a Level Four designation in the Club Recognition Program (CRP) by USA-S, one of only 13 teams nationwide to achieve the highest ranking in the CRP. For more information about Excel Aquatics, visit www.ExcelAquatics.org.